


The Promise

by EveryEndMeansAStart



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Gen, Spoilers for The Death Cure, Well not really because AU, gonna be a two-parter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2014-10-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 13:17:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2349737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveryEndMeansAStart/pseuds/EveryEndMeansAStart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU The Death Cure</p>
<p>Turns out Newt being a crank was only another one of WICKED's trials. As soon as Thomas found out he went into Denver, looking for Newt and found him. Minho stayed behind with Gally and slowly loses it.</p>
<p>Page 250 still happened - just not completely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Come Back

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since I read this fan theory that Newt has always been immune and WICKED only injected something into him to make him feel like he had the Flare I haven't been able to let it go and so I've been dreaming about this little scene.

"Man, sit your shuck butt down. You're driving me _crazy_."

Minho glared at him. Bad choice of words, really.

"I can't," he told his ex-fellow Glader and resumed his pacing from one side of the room to another. "I should have gone with him. I should _go_ after him," he added, heading straight for the door.

"Minho, I swear I'm gonna strap you down!" the blond shouted, jumping to his feet and into Minho's path. "It's gonna be alright. They'll be okay. Greenie's a big boy. He can look after himself."

"He's not a Greenie," the Asian boy replied. "Not anymore."

"My point, exactly. So could you please-"

His sentence suddenly got cut off by a metal squeaking sound. Minho craned his neck to peek past Gally who spun around, facing the opening door.

There they stood. Thomas. And _Newt_. Both looked like they had been through a lot - especially Newt - but alive and healthy. And smiling like idiots. Surreal.

With long strides Minho walked toward them and pulled his best friend he had believed lost into a bear hug.

"Whoa! Hey, Minho," Newt squealed in surprise, losing his balance. "I'm okay."

Minho didn't seem convinced yet. With a grim expression he looked at Newt from head to toe. Then he nodded and took a step back. His eyes drifting to Thomas who held up his arms in defence, afraid Minho might attack him, too.

"So am I," he assured him firmly.

"Good that."

Now having some space Newt's gaze wandered around the location, eventually landing on Gally. His eyes darkened.

"What's _this_ shuckface doing here?" he growled.

"Saving your sorry butt," Gally snapped back, offended. "Not sure you deserve it."

"Hey, that's enough," Thomas said and stepped between the two boys before they could rip each other's heads off. He turned to Newt.

"There's a lot you missed. A lot to explain."

Then he addressed Gally. "Any place around here where we can talk in private?"

Gally shrugged and gestured to the back. "The storage room I guess."

"Good that," said Thomas, placing a hand on Newt's back and pushing him forward. "Come on."


	2. Faux Pas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho finds out what happened in Denver. Basically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say about this chapter except... enjoy... I guess?

"I still don't trust Gally," declared Newt after Thomas and Minho had told him everything that had happened since their ways had parted.

"Me neither," agreed Minho.

"But Thomas..." Newt stared at his other friend in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"I'm not saying I trust him," corrected Thomas calmly. "It's just... This is the first time we actually meet a resistance against WICKED. "

"Besides us," added Minho.

"Yeah. Brenda says Gally's story is solid. The Right Arm is the real deal. And I trust Brenda."

Minho coughed. It sounded a lot like _Teresa_. Newt sniggered. The good mood was infectious. Even Thomas had to smile faintly.

"Shuck it, I don't care about any of this anymore," Minho told them then. "WICKED, the right arm, all of it. I'm just glad we're together again."

"Yeah, it was close."

The words left Thomas mouth before he could stop himself. Newt stared at him in panic, then quickly sobered up before Minho could catch on but it was too late. For a moment he just looked dumbfounded from one boy to the other before his expression changed to a distorted mix of horror, hurt and anger.

" _You've gotta be shucking kidding me!_ " he roared. In the blink of an eye he was on his feet.

"Whoa Minho!" Newt yelped and leapt back, walking straight into the wall behind him. Minho followed, only inches from him. His placed his hands on either side of him on the wall. He was shaking with anger.

" _I'm sorry_ ," Newt whispered guilt-stricken. Tears were pooling in his eyes.

Thomas took a tentative step toward them. The Asian was so angry. Thomas barely recognized him.

"Minho, wait a minute –"

 "Slim it, Thomas! You weren't there back then! You didn't...!"

That _hurt_. Thomas hated to be left out. But he also understood his friend. The way he reacted to this piece of information Thomas knew that Minho had suffered a great trauma from Newt's first suicide attempt and had yet to recover from it.

Minho turned back to the blond. "You promised! You shucking promised!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger! This story is really difficult for me to write. But I'll try to hurry!  
> The next chapter will be a flashback to Newt's first suicide attempt and how everyone reacted to it. You will then also know what Newt promised to Minho ;)


	3. You promised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update this!   
> I actually had it written down from beginning to end in an extended version which I published as a one shot and then forgot all about it.   
> It's written in Minho's POV because I thought him most suitable to tell the story.   
> Enjoy! And make sure to check out the extended version, following the link ;)

**Link to the extended version:[ here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2455406)**

 

**Minho's POV**

“And… nothing. Again,” I sighed and pulled out pen and pad. Once again we had rounded the last corner of section 7 and met a dead-end. Newt just stood there, hands in his pockets and kicking little stones on the ground. “You can run ahead,” I told him, mapping the last part of the Maze for that day. “I’ve got this.”

“You sure?” asked Newt. Was that hope I detected in his voice?

“Sure. I’m right behind you,” I affirmed, focused on my scribbling. Then, suddenly, I stopped and looked at my friend, a smirk on my face. “Unless you think you’ll get lost,” I teased.

“Ha-ha,” commented Newt drily. Apparently, he wasn’t in the mood for jokes. But he seemed to welcome the offer. “See you in a bit,” he added and took off.

“Save me some of Frypan’s stew!” I shouted after him he was already gone.

~~~~~

Hours later I collapsed into the grass right behind the Doors of the Glade, out of breath and stamina. Panting, I rolled onto my back and pulled my water bottle out of my backpack only to find it empty.

“Ah, shuck it,” I rasped out and threw it over my head into the depth of the Glade.

“Hey, shuck-face, d’you mind?” an angry voice scolded me.

A second later Alby stood in front of me, blocking out the setting sun. Holding the empty bottle in his hand, he gave me a stern look.

“Sorry, Alby,” I mumbled. I really couldn’t care less. The bottle connected with my face. “Ow! Shuck, man, what’s your problem?” “Where’d you leave Newt?”

“What do you mean where did I leave–“ I swung myself into a sitting position and looked questioningly at the second-in-command. “He’s not back yet?”

“Nope. You two split up? That’s against the rules, slinthead.” “Yeah, I know,” I said impatiently, not very interested in the rules but rather in the absence of our friend. “That’s weird. I was mapping the rest of the Maze and told him to run ahead. He should’ve been back for twenty minutes at least.”

“Well, he’s not!” snapped Alby and kicked me in the shins. “Where is he?”

“How would I know?” I shot back and got on my feet, scratching the back of my head. “Shuck it, when I told about getting lost I was only kidding.”

“Newt knows the Maze in and out. He ain’t getting lost.” “Right.”

“Then where is he?”

“Slim it, shank. Why are you klunking your pants?”

Alby thought for a moment. “Newt seem strange to you today?”

“Not more than usually. Just quiet.”

“Been that way for a while.”

“Yeah, for a week or so.”

“Since Box Day…,” we said in unison.

I glanced at my watch. “The Doors close in half an hour. I’m gonna go back in and look for him.” I stepped up, heading for the Maze but Alby held out his hand to stop me.

“You look like klunk. Go find some water and catch your breath. I’m going.”

“Whaaat? But that’s against the rules,” I teased playfully. “Nick’s gonna throw you in the Slammer for that.”

“Yeah, _but it’s Newt_.” And with that he turned around and ran past the Doors.

~~~~~

After freshing up I had been standing by the Door, impatiently pacing back and forth, waiting for my friends to return. When I finally saw Alby rounding a corner, dragging Newt along, the Doors started to close. I didn’t think twice, sprinted toward them and lifted Newt’s feet off the ground. Both of us carrying him, we squeezed through the opening Doors just in time before the Doors sealed shut for the night. All three of us collapsed to the ground.

The impact woke Newt up. For a moment he was disoriented and looked around. When he finally realized where he was his face fell. His gaze found Alby’s.

“I hate you,” he rasped out before he fainted again.

I had followed the short exchange and looked at Alby in confusion. The fellow Glader was obviously hurt but then he shook his head and turned away.

“MED-JACKS!” he roared, his voice resonating in the whole Glade.

There was no need to yell though. Jeff and Clint were already running up to us, together with our leader Nick and a few curious Gladers.

“What happened?” demanded Nick when he reached us.

Alby ignored him. He turned to the med-jacks. “His leg’s busted,” he told them. “But check him for more injuries. He was in serious pain.”

Jeff and Clint nodded dutifully before lifting the still unconscious Newt off the ground and carrying him over to Homestead. Me and Alby rose to our feet as well.

“Alby,” Nick urged. “I need to know what happened.”

“Newt got lost,” I came to his rescue before Alby could even open his mouth. I knew something was off. I would talk to Alby later and ask him what had happened. “I sent him home early while I was still mapping,” I added truthfully now. Nick didn’t seem convinced.

“Newt’s the Keeper of the Runners. He’s never lost his way inside the Maze.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything!” I snapped. “Besides, he was probably dehydrated. He didn’t bring enough water today so I sent him ahead before he fainted on me.”

Surprised, Alby stared me but went along with it. “When Minho returned I realized Newt was still inside the Maze. I went inside to look for him and found him like this. Maybe a Griever got to him.”

“I see,” Nick said, still not completely convinced. It was common knowledge that the Grievers usually came out at night and not in broad daylight, however it had happened in the past. “You broke the rules, you know that, right?” he continued. “Both of you. I should banish you for that.”

“ _It’s Newt!_ ” Both Alby and I yelled, not even trying to hide our lack of interest in the rules.

“Still,” insisted our leader. “We established these rules for a reason. No diner for you tonight, Alby.” Alby just rolled his eyes at the incredulous sentence. “With Newt injured we’re one Runner down, Minho, so I can’t have you lose your strength. You’ll spend the night in the Slammer instead.”

I just waved it off before me and Alby turned our backs on them and headed for Homestead.

~~~~~

The next morning Newt was already awake when we entered the room.

“Hey.”

Alby and I took a seat on the other side of the bed. None of us said anything else. After a while Newt broke the silence.

“You should by running by now,” he told me. I immediately shook his head. “No one’s going back in until we know what happened to you. That’s what I told Alby here and he ran it by Nick.”

“Nick actually agreed to this?”

“He’s scared. Like all those shanks out there. They think you got attacked by a Griever.”

“But no one knows the truth, no one but us” explained Alby, waving his hand around the three of us. “And we ain’t telling anyone.”

Newt simply nodded.

“I blame myself, you know,” I informed him, looking sad and guilty. “Nearly spent the night in the Slammer for it,” I added, shaking my head at the ridiculousness of it.

Newt avoided our gazes and stared at a spot on the opposite wall. “You should’ve left me there.

“No way!” I exclaimed. “You can’t be serious.”

And Alby added “Couldn’t do that. We need you, Newt.”

“Why’d you do it?” I demanded.

“I can’t take it, anymore.”

“Yes, but you’re not alone! You’ve got us! We’re in this together!”

He didn’t reply to that. He didn’t need to. The message was loud and clear.

“Look,” Alby said then. “Those boys out there? Our friends? They actually got it worse than you.”

“Alby!”

I stared at him in shock. Newt hung my head in guilty surrender.

“Look at me, you dumb shank!” Alby roared. Me and Newt both startled at the rise of his voice. He slowly raised my head to meet our friend’s fiery gaze. “They’ve got it worse,” Alby continued. “Because they can’t do nothin’ about our situation. They just do their part. They do their job and rely on us to do somethin’ ‘bout it. They put all their hope in us. _In you, Newt._ ” Newt looked at him, hanging on his every word. “Because from the moment we came here it was you who never got lazy. You always tried to figure this place out. When all of us sat on our butts klunkin’ our pants and cryin’ you’d get up and look for a way out. It was your idea to run through the Maze and, when you didn’t find an exit, to look for a pattern to solve this buggin’ thing. You never gave up. People depend on you. You give ‘em hope.”

Newt’s eyes moistened at that. A single tear slipped out of them and ran down his cheek. Alby’s words really got to him.

“Not anymore,” he sobbed. “I shucked it all up. I can’t run anymore. My leg’s busted for good. How can I give people hope when I’ve got nothing left?”

“Newt-“ I began but he cut him off.

“Let me finish, shank.” He took a deep breath to collect himself. “But you can.” He looked at me with fierce determination. “Minho, you’re the fastest Runner of us all. You’re smart and unlike me you actually have the strength to keep doing this.”

I looked at him in confusion. “Newt, what exactly are you-“

“I want you to replace me as the Keeper of the Runners,” he declared. “You’re my friend and I trust you. I know you will pull this off. Do what I couldn’t. Get us out of here.”

“Newt…” I was completely taken aback. “Don’t you need to call a Gathering because you can decide that? What about Nick?” I asked.

“You can go tell him that as the Keeper of the Runners I don’t bloody care about his opinion. When I step down I decide who replaces me. He’s got no say in the matter. I’m making you the Keeper, period.”

I looked at Alby for resistance but was only met with a firm nod in agreement.

“Okay,” I agreed then. “But one condition.”

Newt simply rolled his eyes at that. “What bloody condition then?”

“You have to promise us that you will never try to quit again. Not for as long we’re in here and not if we find a way out. Never again.”

He hesitated. I swear it was the worst minute of my life. How could he even think about it?

“Minho…” he began and I sighed. He wouldn’t make that promise.

“I think you need a little incentive, am I right?” Alby said then, a smile forming on his lips. “Like a purpose? Well, I think I’ve got one for ya.” Newt looked at him in curiosity, as did I. “I’m only second-in-command but I could still use a little help running the place.”

“A right hand man for the right hand man?” I snickered. It sounded so ridiculously funny that even Newt had to chuckle.

“Tell me more,” he muttered, intrigued by the idea and suddenly there was hope.

“I want someone taking care of our Greenies. We all remember how shucked up we were when we came up here. Confused, scared. We’ve done a good job so far making them part of our family but I still think someone should be assigned to look after them every day. Make sure they don’t get lazy, get used to this place and don’t lose hope. I want you to be that person, Newt.”

He blinked. “Me?”

“Of course! That’s a great idea!” I chimed in. “You’re good with people, Newt. From the moment we woke up here. You’ve always looked after us. Made sure we were doing okay.”

“Exactly,” agreed Alby, nodding. “So what do you say, man? You in?”

Again, he thought about it. I just wanted to smack his head. The suspense was killing me.

And then he finally turned to Alby with a faint smile on his lips. “Okay. I’m in.”

“And?” I urged impatiently, my eyes narrowed.

“And I promise,” he assured. “It’s not like you’re leaving me any choice anyway, right?”

“Right.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is gonna be a two-parter. The second chapter will actually refer to the title ;)


End file.
